As the demand for more data channels increases for satellite communication, there exists a need to move to the optical spectrum as opposed to the traditional radio frequency spectrum. One method of increasing data channels in the optical domain for satellite communications is to use a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) scheme. However, as the radio frequency (RF) carrier and modulation frequencies increase to provide a greater bandwidth in wavelength grid communication systems, such as DWDM architectures with 25 GHz spacing, the maximum number of carriers can be limited by the dual modulation sidebands fitting within the wavelength spacing grid. In addition, the required spacing between adjacent wavelengths is relatively small. As the spacing between adjacent optical wavelengths decreases, the separation of different signals from one another becomes more difficult. To address this, current International Telecommunications Union (ITU) recommendations suggest a 100 GHz spacing between adjacent carrier wavelengths. As an additional challenge, it is difficult to achieve a desired power density using a single mode fiber with all the DWDM channels. In particular, intensity related nonlinear effects can cause issues such as four-wave mixing, self and cross-phase modulation, chromatic dispersion, and the like, and can decrease the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the signals. Moreover, at desired power levels, DWDM after amplification presents a significant challenge. Also, simply modulating an optical carrier frequency with a radio frequency information signal can require revisions to receiving equipment that increases costs.